The University of Georgia announced on April 10 the recipients of its 2026 Student Employee of the Year awards, recognizing outstanding contributions by student workers at an annual luncheon held on April 8 in the Tate Student Center Grand Hall.
The awards highlight the important role student employees play in supporting university programs and services. Honorees are selected for their demonstration of professional competencies such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication.
Riya Pandya, a fourth-year financial planning and business administration double major from Griffin, was named Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year for her work as a residential supervisor at UGA Summer Academy. Jeffrey Mitchell, director of youth programs at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, said: “She performed at a professional level while remaining a student herself and made transformational contributions when given responsibility and trusted with discretionary authority. Riya represents the very best of what student employees contribute to the University of Georgia.”
Dharma Janga, a master’s student studying cybersecurity and privacy from Alpharetta, received Graduate Student Employee of the Year honors for her work with CyberArch at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Jeremy Daniel, program manager for CyberArch, said: “I have seen firsthand her strong technical and analytical skills, along with her genuine passion for cybersecurity. She raised her hand to serve as a risk review leader and strategic project leader, which shows her desire to make a lasting, positive difference in the cybersecurity community.”
A team award was also presented to four data interns from the Institute of Government’s data analysis and visualization unit—Faith Fowler (finance), Ashley Kim (electrical engineering), Rebecca Kenirey (management information systems), and Avanish Thota (management information systems)—for their support in providing technical consulting and reporting tools across campus projects. James Byars, unit manager in data analysis and visualization at the Institute of Government said: “As their supervisor, I am routinely impressed not only by their ability to learn and apply technical skills quickly but also by their active curiosity to find innovative ways to provide value.”
The selection committee is composed of faculty and staff members who evaluate nominees based on six professional competencies designated by UGA. The annual awards are part of national recognition efforts led by the National Student Employment Association.
